Recruiting Trail: Nelson picks up offer from Southern Cal

Tuesday

Oct 29, 2013 at 4:43 PMOct 29, 2013 at 4:46 PM

Charles Nelson, a Seabreeze senior wide receiver/defensive back, said he got an offer from Southern Cal.

By Brian Linderbrian.linder@news-jrnl.com

Charles Nelson got a pretty cool birthday present Monday night. The Seabreeze senior wide receiver/defensive back said the big gift came in the form of an offer from Southern Cal.Nelson said he spoke on the phone with USC coaches — including interim head coach Ed Orgeron — for about 15 minutes. “They called and said they would love to have me out there on a visit and that they were offering me a scholarship,” Nelson said. “It was exciting to get that offer. It’s always exciting to get an offer, especially from big teams.”The 5-foot-9, 175-pound speedster has been one of the area’s most impressive players on both sides of the ball this season. He said the Trojans told him he could play offense or defense and that he could see time as a kick returner. Nelson has 40 tackles and four interceptions this season, and 31 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns. He also claims offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Memphis, North Carolina, South Florida, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Middle Tennessee State, Western Michigan, Connecticut, Temple and Michigan State.Nelson said he does not currently have any visits planned.Scott hoping for big gameMainland senior cornerback Chris Scott (5-11, 170) is hoping a big-time performance in Friday night’s game against Seabreeze will help him in the eyes of college recruiters. Scott has put together a solid season with 24 tackles and an interception, but said he has only drawn interest from a few small schools. “I just want to step up this week and make plays,” Scott said. “(Seabreeze’s Connor Blair) is a good quarterback, and I respect their receivers. I just have to come out and work harder than I have all season and make this the best game of my season.”C.J. Jones injury updateAtlantic tailback C.J. Jones said Monday that he did not go through with his scheduled MRI last week because the ankle he injured against Cocoa Beach two weeks ago has progressed well.The senior Central Florida commit leads the area in rushing with 1,147 yards.The Sharks host Space Coast Thursday with a playoff berth on the line. Jones said he hopes to play in that game, but Atlantic coach Tim Smith said that a decision on his playing status likely would not be made until Thursday.Heldreth, Stanford pick up offers from WarnerWarner Christian tackle Jordan Heldreth (6-5, 275) and Deltona quarterback/defensive back Mark Stanford (5-11, 190) picked up offers from Warner University this week.Warner Christian coach Steve Allen reported Heldreth’s offer.Stanford, who said he is also hearing from Salisbury University, called the opportunity “an honor.”“(Warner) is still a young program,” he said. “They’re just building and they are looking for guys to get them started.”Stanford said Warner is recruiting him as a defensive back.